#musically and artistically. if you dont like the genre or think they did it badly whatever i dont care about that

[sanstropfremir]

hi hellooo pleasure to be here again!! i have come to rant

so last night i went a bit through your blog because i vaguely remembered that at some point there was a conversation about "stage presence" and how only kpoppies give a shit about it. and i found some asks from last year about this youtuber who made like a whole classification on stage presence with all this masculine overt dominant whatever categories. and i was mindblown because just yesterday i got recommended one of their videos and i was watching that stuff like wtf. that took me back to my early kpop days (which is like 2018 lol) when i also discovered the term stage presence and i thought i did something. anyway

i actually came here to talk about shinee's recent comeback!! from the little i've seen, there's some beef among shawols regarding wether shinee is really "shinee" anymore and i've seen some people saying they've unstanned bc of hard. like you do you ig

i've been thinking that i genuinely like the song, but indeed it doesn't have that classic shinee vibe. (also satellite best bside???) to me it's just like taemin key onew and minho got together to sing a song, but it's not "shinee" per se. and that's okay.

regarding performances i only watched the studio choom dance version and tbh for the first time in my limited shinee eras knowledge i thought that minho takes the cake for this one. idk if it's the fact that he's more stereotipically masculine (or at least coming across that way) or what, but honestly his part in the second chorus is my favorite. key is second favorite and again his part in the last chorus suits him a lot imo especially with the different choreo for it. as for taemin i'm glad he's bringing his poppiest pops forward because i swear i feels like that man's bones are snapping inside his body but other than that honestly i don't think he's enjoying this era too much fdjdvscg

hi hello again!!!

alksdjflksdafj not that youtuber again....they're a fucking plague i need them to read a fucking book for the love of god. just so profoundly uninformed, its mind boggling.

i've seen variations of this take since before the song even came out and honestly? i don't agree. you can not like the song for any number of reasons but the fact of the matter is that it IS a shinee song. what makes a shinee song is that it's their voices. that's all that makes a shinee song. for a group that has an extended history of genre experimentation, for fans to get mad or say it's "not them" when they DO do something experimental is cowardly and embarrassing. just admit that you don't like the song and move on. there will be a time when EVERY artist you love makes something that you don't. that's fine and normal. don't hide behind incorrect assertions like "it's an nct reject" or that it doesn't sound like them. they're artists that still want to explore and grow and they have agency to do that. it's not a failing to admit that you don't like something that your faves made, and i also think it's rude and denies them identity and agency to say that 'it doesn't sound like them', especially with this particular group.

personally what i think people are subconsciously getting at when they say a song doesnt sound like shinee is that it sounds incomplete because it's missing a voice. the same discourse circled around with dcm came out and people are not acknowledging that shinee is never going to sound the same as they did pre 2017 (2018 technically bc jonghyun's voice is still on tsol). they just aren't. the chemical makeup of the melodies is going to be different forever and people need to acknowledge and accept that. the four of them are doing their best to fill in that hole and theyre doing a great job, but there is still a hole.

[tenyrasims]

Red Emoji OC Asks ❤️‍🩹

🐞, 🎸and ❤️ for Kiyoshi.

🥩, ❗️ for Aidan

and

🌹, 💔 and 🎈for Ashina

Pls 😎

Uh thats a lot 😂 ok, lets start~

🐞 - What does a perfect day look like for your oc? What do they do? Who do they see? ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Well you would actually guess hes the type to sleep in but hes not. He would get up at 5 a.m to go for a damn jog (cause he barely sleeps anyway bc of his nightmares) comes back, get breakfast with Daiki. Then it depends where Daiki would drag him. He also doesnt mind watching Daiki draw his paintings or learn for school ... even if hes looking more him than anything else😂 If it comes to him he would actually go play basketball with the boys before getting to training either dancing or taekwondo. At evening he can settle down if he got enough exercise and is satisfied if he can cuddle and watching a movie with him c: If hes tired he can get a real cutie 😊

🎸 - What’s your character’s music taste like? Do they have one or two artists they play on repeat or do they have a varied and eclectic collection of music? Do they like mainstream artists or prefer underground musicians? What genres do they enjoy? ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Pretty mixed he mostly listen to rock but is also into rap and RnB He always acts like the tough guy but pretty deep thinking. So he often listens to music which resembles his insides.

❤️ - Who is the most important person to your character? To what lengths would they go to protect this person? ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thats pretty obvious. Its Daiki for sure. He would go to hell and back to keep him safe. and he would be able to manage this easy and kick asses. 😂

🥩 - Does your oc have any coping mechanisms? Healthy or unhealthy?

Oh yea - mostly drugs any kind of. He smokes a lot and drinks too much if hes stressed.

❗️ - What was the scariest moment of your character’s life? Does it still affect them?

Oh yea there were a lot scarie moments of his life. But hes not the type to get scared from something. There was just one moment which is also part of their story where he nearly lost Ashina and this feeling shattered his whole world to the core.

🌹 - What does your oc find attractive in other people? Are these traits found in their friends and/or romantic partners? Are they found in themselves?

Ashina loves a challenge and she can't do anything with shy, submissive guys. That bores her pretty quick. She more the "I ruin bad boys" type of girl. The only who can mess with her temper is actually Aidan because he calms her down - and thats a trait she needs to find in someone which she actually dont know of that she need badly. Somewhere she can find peace. She need someone who can deal with her moods and personalities, is the same type of crazy without giving into her too quick. Someone who also take her on a leash if shes overdoing it. And yea all of this is Aidan.

💔 - Who has your character hurt most? Physically or emotionally? How did it feel? Do they regret it?

Uh yea, she hurted a lot of people in the past but the most? humm probably Aidan as she lied about that she slept with Kiyoshi in Dare to Love me as they broke up because all Aidan wanted was to protect her. She knew it would hit him hard because they are like brothers. She just got overboard there. And also ruined their friendship so they dont speak to eachother anymore. upsi ~

🎈 - What does your character do at parties? Are they a wallflower or a party animal? Do they go with friends or alone?

hmm depents if shes drinking or na :D but if yea - dancing on tables, getting wasted, she wouldnt mind going alone dont worry. But Aidan wont let her 😂 trust me he never would. He just knows her too good.

Thanks for the ask ♥

[petewentzisblack1312]

can I be honest about white people and rap/hip hop/r&b?

We were taught it's thug music. In movies (80s and 90s) it was only listened to by thugs (even when it was the "good misunderstood thugs", like Gangsters' Paradise). Then, in the late 90s and early 00s the messaging was that it's pimp music (and many of the songs that played on MTV were of the "my bitches my hoes" sub genre). I think the first time I saw a ~ wholesome ~ character listen to hip-hop was Miles in Into the Spiderverse. In 2018. Like, five years ago.

(glaring exception to this is female r&b artists, many of whom are mainstream)

But I wouldn't even know where to start finding non-misogynistic, non-"thug life" music (outside of the few titles that make it onto soundtracks), because until it was spoon-fed to me on the soundtrack of Spiderverse, I honestly didn't really know it existed.

i think my main response to this is that you are singling out misogyny in black genres. like black misogyny is worse to you for some reason. most male dominated music genres are misogynistic and objectify women (classic rock definitely does, all alternative music does too) but that does not stick out to you for some reason.

on top of that, have you never heard a drake song. i dont like drake very much and would not really recommend him but he was like one of the biggest rappers of the last decade and he was known for wholesome rap like it was a joke how he was in his feelings all the time. wayyyy before post malone did sunflower. or chance the rapper. chance the rapper was like an artistic darling when coloring book came out, and its a beautiful album. same drugs still gets me. kanye west died badly and you shouldnt listen to him but besides his talent as a rapper he was kind of a game changer in that he was not a thug rapper and often had wholesome messages or like. he had a song thanking god. and he was like the biggest rapper before he died badly. or like lil nas x. montero is an exploration of self and sexuality. are you listening to any of the lyrics?? do you just hear aave and mentions or sex and drugs and assume its nothing but hard talk?

if youre looking for music that is less misogynistic, in any genre, listen to women. megan the stallion, ice spice, doja cat, estelle, missy elliot, janelle monáe.

im not trying to be mean btw its just like extremely interesting to me what sticks out to you. you arent listening.

anyway im not the person to ask for recommendations. im a punk, and while i occasionally listen to some rap and r&b i dont make a habit of it. idk what the scene looks like.

[greyeyedmonster-18]

heyy greyy

how are you?

i have slept maybe three hours I'm surviving purely on coffee and my mind's going in 15 different directions and the usual shyness that keeps my thoughts locked has left me stranded so uhh i may be asking these very important questions that you definitely don't have to answer but anyways here they are

1. besides taylor what are your favourite artists /genres to listen to ( a song in currently obsessed with is sidelines by pheobe bridgers 10/10)

2. what are you favourite cuisines to try out? (this is inspired because of my friend making red thai curry for me bless her I'm not an adventurous eater but it was so good 15/10 recommend)

3. sirius in your stories loves maths, is it something inspired by you or just a hc for him? god bless y'all who enjoy maths I'm gonna cheer on you guys while i work with biology

4. ooo do you love nail paint/ nail art ?

5. see this is my kinda think but when I'm bored or just sitting idly is i have a pen I'll just draw stuff on a paper (can call them doodles but they aren't really) but yeah these days i gravitate towards making an eye or fingers for some reason ( like those witchy creepy cartoony ones)

6. its an imaginary world with no responsibilities and not considering logical housing situation then what animal would you have as a pet ( i once was in a lengthy discussion with my mom how hypothetically giraffe would be a good pet- they could carry all your groceries to you apartment floor with no issue but then i saw them fighting and I'll stick to cat and dogs for now)

uhh yeah these are it for now- i have more but i dont want to overwhelm you (too much)

-ash

(if these weirded you out I'm so sorry but uhh yeah bye i find you very cool and Inspiring and uhh you give me hope that the clusterfuck of bad desicions and noooo why did i think this was a good idea that is your early 20s work itself out in the end )

also if you ever want to see badly drawn witchy fingers that i have no idea why i have started to draw pls ask :)

friend! hello! please sleep. these are all very sweet, very cute, and I'll happily oblige answering sleepy silly questions, and here is more information than you ever wanted to know!!! but also, this is the third time this week i have been called cool and i just....i promise i'm not. i promise i am just a Big Dork who Does Her Best. But also...not mad that i give off a vibe that i made a bunch of bad decisions in my twenties, which i am still technically in. Not mad at all <3:

-music genre besides taylor swift: i tend to have either the music taste of someone...much older, or much younger. like i went to a josh groban concert, sat VERY close when i was 23? and was the youngest person in the crowd who wasn't forced to go with their parents by a long shot (made friends with an older woman who wore a fur coat and pearls and i decided im going to be her when im older)

but to name a few-- one direction stan (and zayn, harry, and nialls solo careers only), sara bareilles, josh groban, ariana grande, billy joel, elton john, paul simon/simon and garfunkel, and then i also listen to a lot of instrumental stuff...like...film scores (the film score to Much Ado About Nothing is my favorite ever).

-cuisine: i am not a picky eater at all, i will eat dry wall if it has a dipping sauce and tell you its the best thing in the world. and im a latinx household, so a lot of my daily cooking is...that. but when i venture away, i tend to take inspo from my friends/their recipes (made sushi pizza last week? very good, 10/10 recommend), and try out what THEY eat regularly.

-maths: while i do like maths, this HC wasn't inspired by me. sirius is a very black and white thinker. he is pragmatic, and logical by nature. this is canon. he's also....canonically very smart, and provided the black family has a lot of money (and a lot of paranoia, i don't think Orion Black and his predecessors would've let anyone else touch the books other than family, i wouldn't be surprised if they were charmed either) and its just a HC of mine that sirius had to learn about managing money and numerology and maths from a very young age to prepare for... heir-hood. (i do like doing math, and i am good at it, however its not something i would ever make a career out of...exclusively.)

-nails: this might be disappointing, but i don't do my nails. they wouldn't last a day. the only time i do is when im obligated to for an event/wedding, and they literally barely make it through the ceremony. nails are kept short, unpolished.

i love witchy hands!!!

pet: i would hands down have flamingos in my front yard. like a cute little pond and they would just stand there on one leg like Misty Copeland and be cute and pink and mind their business <3

[cosmicbash]

I hadn’t even thought about MTBMB delux I would die if they collab on it that would be so sick

And yes I completely agree!! Love EST 99% of the time but they need to leave Pete alone like obviously him and Kells are still fine

And the clip was so good and so funny and it’s been known that Pete and Kells are both Em fans

I totally get the whole beef rehashing being good publicity but it’s just so tiring like the whole marketing TTMD by using Kells and Megan’s relationship

And I think it would be even more publicity if Kells was featured Bc everyone would be freaking out

Also I think the whole people hating on MGK as a rapper won’t ever be completely over but Em actually saying something/collabing would help

Like imagine Em retweeting what Kells said about corny headlines

Also sorry if this is a lot!! I just feel like your opinions are mostly aligned with how I think and feel about these things and you tend to have a lot more Em knowledge than I do! But lemme know if I’m bothering you :)

I'm really crossing my fingers for a MTBMB deluxe instead of a whole new album because goddammit it was so FUCKING good. Genuinely a first for me where I loved EVERY single song on an album the first listen through. And the quarentine really ruined a chance for it to really shine with more music vids or even a tour/press thing.

From what I've seen of EST they are all really ride or die, which is GREAT! But also ironically that means a good deal of them also display that crazy Stan behavior they complain about Em fans for having. Kells doesn't NEED his fans to play attack dog and jump at anyone who THEY think might have possibly wronged him no matter how minor. It just makes him look bad in the long run. As sucky as it his fan behavior DOES reflect badly on artists in situations like this. I get some ire in est spaces because I'm an Em fan but I found Kells through the Em beef and I'm not gonna suddenly throw away like a decade plus of me liking an artist and his music because I also really like his new beef of the year. 😂😂 like?? Cmon. I aint Em and I aint Kells so why the fuck should I care about their beef? It doesnt affect me in any way shape or form and Kells himself was an Em fan before it all went down. I'm not gonna pretend to hate either of their music because they dont like eachother. They very obviously couldn't give two shits if their fans overlap too. I don't see Em calling out fake stans or Kells doing the same. (Shit, the majority of other rappers he's collabed with are Em fans guys. Cant you respect him enough to realize he doesnt want his fans to be sheeple who just follow the herd blindly??)

But anyway, EST attacking Pete is a super dick move towards Kells. Thats his friend. Someone he cared about enough he literally dropped everything and got on airplane to go to see and support when unnecessary internet hate put him in a dark place. Like I-- I don't even think its worth wasting text to explain how dumb people hating on Pete look right now 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

The TTMD marketing focusing heavily on his and Megans relationship is something I would need a whole ass post by itself for to talk about hahaha. ((Gonna clarify right now before an assumption is made that I love Megan and I'm very happy for her and Kells relationship ✌ doesn't mean I can't be annoyed with how obviously some member of their teams is going way too overboard with milking it right now. Its a smart ass pr move for sure. Would be a waste NOT to use their combined star power and the buzz around their relationship, still a lil annoying and tone deaf at some points) (cough, cough, just like how the Em beef was milked by both sides until the teet was sore. Cough)

Kells being featured on and Em track would be 👍👍. Just feels like the best way to round off the beef and officially end it. (Specifically kells on an em album though. Anyone hoping for the opposite and to get an em feature on kells next album is gonna be wishing for a long time I think. Em will want to have kells feature on his first imo.)

Kells is always gonna get hate for being a rapper. Even if Em came out and called him great and did multiples features/collabs/ fucking tours with him. White rappers will always get hate in the hiphop world. Especially those who branch out to other genres and just dont fit this mold the hiphop community wants. Look at all the hate Em gets! In Ocotober HH twitter had a fucking meltdown and started a hate fest trending about Em all because of a RUMOR he might drop an album. Even though Em has shown his skill and worth and been recognized by the other greats he'll always get hate and struggle. Just how it is. Kells grew up getting hated on for the same reasons as Em did when he started rapping so he should know by now that it's always gonna be like that and the best thing to do is just enjoy his craft and ignore the haters. Cuz they will always be there.

And don't worry! I'm never bothered by asks or someone wanting to chat about this kinda stuff. I'm not one to go out of my way and make big posts about my opinions just on their own so gives me a chance to rant ahaha. My inbox is ALWAYS open for a reason ♡♡

[whatsuppeople]

98 Questions

 tagged by @slowtofu​!!! ty sm!!!!

Gonna be under the cut since its lengthy .. . .

1. full name: Peach “Captain“ flowerhalo

2. nicknames: Cap for short, Cappy for medium!

3. birthday: July 3!

4. age: 18

5. zodiac star sign: cancer

6. moon sign: idk

7. ascendant: i swear you guys are just making this this up at this point omg

8. venus: ok the thing about these signs is that they expect u to know ur exact birth time which is weird and also i dont wanna ask my mom pfft

9. gender: female

10. pronouns: she/her (they/them is ok too)

11. sexuality: 🅱️isexual

12. myer-briggs type: i could never remember tbh

13. relationship status: unfortunately and unbelievably single but sometimes i like to pretend im married to my favorite fictional characters

14. best friend: oof ngl best friend asks make me sad bc idk who actually considers me as their best friend :’)))

15. religion: Hello Kitty is the only god

16. favorite color: purple and pink!

17. favorite music genre: im not picky i love alot of them

18. favorite band/artist: too many!

19. favorite song: too many!!! but fly me too the moon probably or some cute future funk song

20. favorite holiday: Thanksgiving tbh!!!! yum yum yum! Xmas is good too

21. favorite tv show: mMMMM like. actual shows or cartoons or

22. favorite youtuber: harshlycritical/john wolfe

23. favorite perfume/cologne: idk what its called but theres this one i like from rue 21 i think

24. favorite season: hhhhh idk 

25. favorite flower: aLL OF THEM UR BEAUTIFUL!!!!

26. favorite gemstone: i dont have one but i think theyre pretty!!

27. favorite roller coaster: ur funny 1 im scared of roller coasters 2 i dont go to amusement parks enough to even have a favorite 

28. favorite fruit: FRUIT IS SO GOOD i love alot of them. . .grapes, cherries, mangos, peaches, apples.. .  .

29. favorite vegetable: ngl. . . .corn

30. favorite icecream flavor: cookies and cream!

31. favorite candy: anything sweet

32. favorite restaurant: no one ever takes me out so 

33. favorite fast food restaurant: idk alot of fast food makes me sick

34. favorite starburst flavor: watermelone

35. favorite pizza topping: keep it plain babey!!!! but pepperoni and/or hamburger

36. favorite chip flavor: cheese tbh

37. favorite non-alcoholic beverage: tea probably! i also love soda

38. favorite alcoholic beverage: i dont drink bc im underaged

39. favorite video game: i love too many games but @ kender tboi is so good thats a good choice

40. favorite board game: not rlly a bored game but uno si good

41. favorite city: your funny

42. favorite dog breed: ALL DOGS ARE GOOD!!!!!!

43. favorite animal: mmm bats, dogs, cats, the list goes on

44. favorite number: uhhh

45. coffee or tea: tea!!! tea!! i love tea!!!

46. vanilla or chocolate: vanilla!

47. leather or denim: OOOF both r good on jackets 

48. short or long sleeves: short sleeves

49. patterned or plain: depends

50. floral or plaid: floral!!!!!

51. black or white: black liek any true goth

52. makeup or no makeup: none!! make up makes me feel ugly :( i like lipstick and lipgloss tho

53. tumblr or twitter: i used both but i use tumblr more

54. facebook or snapchat or instagram: all r bad but snapchat i guess

55. phone or tablet or computer: im currently on my laptop

56. liberal or conservative: why would i be conservative lol

57. sunrises or sunsets: BOTH R PRETTY,,,

58. are you vegetarian: tbh i love meat too much

59. are you vegan: no

60. are you allergic to anything: cheap lotions :( they immediately make me break out rlly badly 

61. are you polyamorous: mmmm i wanna say no but i might feel differently i were given the chance to be in one

62. have you been out of state: no :( we enevr go anywhere

63. have you been out of country: no

64. have you kissed a boy: no

65. have you kissed a girl: no

66. have you kissed an enby: im crying ive never kissed anyone 

67. have you broken a bone: god no

68. have you been to the emergency room: i think twice when i was a little kid, i dont remember it though

69. have you ever been high: no

70. have you ever been drunk: no

71. have you ever been in a band or choir: no

72. have you ever catfished someone: no

73. do you have any siblings: 1 sister

74. do you live with your parents: yeye

75. do you have more than 100 followers: yeah,,,

76. do you have more than 1,000 followers: :(

77. do you have more than 10,000 followers: :(

78. do you smoke weed: no

79. do you drink: 

80. do you have a job: 

81. do you own any musician/youtuber merch: im currently wearing a Pink Nirvanna shirt!!!!

82. do you have any internet friends: of course!!!!!!

83. do you play any instruments: no but i wish i did

84. where did you go/are you going to college: this small community college

85. college major: i wish i knew

86. names of all your group chats: KIRA KUIIN DAISAN NO BAKUDAN BAITSA DASUTO has my fav 2 nerds

87. tap the middle autofill button 10 times: im sorry but i would not do this tag game on mobile

88. what time zone do you live in: central i think!!!

89. your best friend’s sign:  hhh

90. your 2nd, 3rd, and 4th closest friends’ signs: (no particular order!!!) Sagittarius, Capricorn, Leo x 2, Aries, Pisces x 2

91. your crush’s sign: hhhh i dont have a crush and even if i were to pick i feel like itd be obvious/awkward so 

92. your mom’s sign: Virgo!

93. your dad’s sign: Gemini!

94. your sibling(s)’ sign(s):  Aquarius!

95. your enemy’s sign: i dont have any enemy like if u think i have time to worry about them ur wrong!!!!! but its an aries lmao

96. your ex(s)’ sign(s): dont

97. an ex best friend’s sign: BITCHQUARIUS!

98. tag 5 people to participate: not tagging anyone but if u wanna do this consider urself tagged!!!

ngl i dont expect anyone to read this like. at all but if u did thank u! 🌹

[sanstropfremir]

same anon (guess i’ll call myself kingdom anon) — and to be fair im also the same as u and can’t really watch competition shows. that’s why i only watched their youtube clips at the beginning. only watching it now because i need something to pass time. (though if u have any recs pls do share :)) but like i’m not paying extreme attention to it lol

i skip skz’s performances just because i am really not a fan. its v cringe for me…. whoever told them that they’re good rappers should maybe possibly be fired. but music is subjective so to each their own. i’m not going to subject myself to it. one thing that i am curious about is if skz genuinely believes that they did really well? it is a scripted show so i’m not too sure. but i really wished fan votes weren’t such a large percentage…. this was an opportunity for tbz/skz/atz to actually receive critical feedback and grow considering they’re younger groups (as opposed to btob/ikon who already established themselves). like for sf9, we saw their immediate growth from round 1 to round 2. but for skz, they’re stagnant.

on a more general topic, there’s something v unique w having large fan bases. recently i saw an article that skz’s new album reached 900,000+ preorder sales. but they didn’t actually rank on korean music charts. and in a way, the sales tell jyp that they’re successful because of the money they’re bringing in. and they’ll continue doing the same thing because it works. but also they’re relatively unknown by korea’s gp when u compare them to jyp’s other male groups (2pm, god, got7). i don’t know where i’m going w this lol sorry just finished a final. but this show was overall disappointing for me. and i d k if i’ll continue watching the episodes

you may be the only person left watching kingdom at this stage so i think the moniker is fitting!

obviously you've been around and reading my reviews so you know my thoughts on the show on the whole, but i don't think i ever really talked about what i thought skz themselves think about the outcome, which is.....i have to assume that they knew the results were gonna be skewed. i think maybe after that first ranking there could have been feasible deniability for them, but as the numbers kept coming in so drastically skewed, especially when mnet made the bizarre choice to show the individual rankings for expert/self/fan judging separately, there's no way they didn't clue in to what was going on. the general consensus from the skz fans i know is that even the fans knew this was not their best showing, and if i know anything about artists i know that we're never satisfied with anything deep down, even if its our best received work.

in terms of seeing if there was any payoff/growth post show, only three of the six groups have had comebacks so i cant really make any totally accurate judgements, but i can say that yea, overall there has been growth. we saw sf9's growth the most obviously during the show and then they cranked it up to 12 for teardrop and it paid off for them (they broke their own sales record, good job boys). we also know that even though the mv for teardrop was filmed pre-kingdom, they revamped the entire choreo after the show in order to capitalize on the feedback from move, and honestly it's the best direction for them to go in. not sure when their next comeback is gonna be because youngbin and inseong are going to have to enlist soon and because of the large age gap its probably gonna be a while before they're all together again. tbz i think has shown a pretty big improvement, at least with thrill ride (who's to say about other comebacks). they've ditched any kind of lore and although i don't like the song i think the majority of the styling is quite good and it's a good genre break for them.

as for skz, i do actually think there's been one or two lessons learned. thunderous isn't as good a song as god's menu or back door, but it's on par with their discography and consistency is key. i do however, think the choreography is excellent and the styling + general concept is interesting, even if a bit conservative. personally i think they should have leaned way more into the graphic elements of the mv, because the shapes and silhouettes of the clothing are good, but they're so monotone that it ends up being a little boring. if everything else was the same but there was more use of patterns and colour it'd pop a lot better. it's also possible that we may see that in the next stages they do, since they've only done three or four so far. i'm taking it as a win that the styling is at least related to the concept. as for the rest of them; the ateez comeback isn't for another two weeks and honestly i have NO clue what to expect, btob is tomorrow and it's gonna be fine obvs, and i dont think ikon is gonna have a comeback any time soon since bobby is apparently getting married next month (plus the baby), not that i was expecting kingdom to have any effect on them lol.

i think its reasonable that jyp front skz more as an international group, especially since they had that with got7 and then cocked it up so badly. i think we're definitely going to be seeing some interesting (if you like that kind of thing) numbers discrepancies in the next few years because of how different groups are being marketed and it's going to have some kind of effect on korean and international charts. personally i have exactly zero interest in charts and numbers and would prefer them to stay far away from me because it's just another way the music industry has been gamified by capitalism.

honestly if the show's not doing it for you than don't bother. it would have been a lot better if there were more group interactions; the sports/isac episode is cute and fun, but really the highlights of the rest of them are the stages.

[ssfoc]

Anonymous asked:

(*) Hi, thankyou for taking the time to give such detailed responses. Also for the recommendations, I'll definitely check them out. I just read your post about Just Hold On. I LOVE song interpretations!! It's different than mine but thats why its interesting, it add more perspectives. I'd love to share my thoughts on that sometime. And I'm sorry, I dont have tumblr account so maybe I can't send messages?? Idk, I only use email or fax on occasion :) so please tell me if my long asks is annoying. (**)I have more discussion if you wouldn't mind. I'm pretty neutral about JHO MV, tbh. Its a great video but for me it didn't really showcased the lyric. Its a personal preference though, so.. My question : Do you think music genre play a big roles on the creative decision regarding music video? Or what are other considerations? because obviously artists want to ensure the message was received more effectively to the targeted market. I mean, a lot of videos had very little/nothing to do with -

(***) the lyric, even pop songs. But I think its common for EDM MV, that maybe they brought the concept around the music ie: the beat/rhythm/bass drop. It wasn't build from a combined aspects of the song (music + lyric) as most pop MV do. We learned that EDM music tend to be 2 dimensional. Its all about the vibe :) you dance to the music, and the lyric just float in a background. When its a perfomance, then it become visual entertainment but still the lyric wont stand out. So it was like a -

(****) like a soundtrack, of a soundtrack, of a movie. Idk, it make sense in my head.. I really think EDM needed music video the least compare to other genre. JHO's strongest point was the lyric though (simple but powerful) and for me it didn't really come through. I think steve/team did try to create storyline but still fall back to the same approach. Because as much as he's a veteran in the business I'm sure this was a learning process still for him and obviously for Louis. I could be wrong -

Hi anon,

I am not the best person to answer this question, as I rarely watch music videos that are not Best Song Ever. First of all, Marcel. Secondly, Veronica Malik. Cute as a button, every one of them, and one of them will tear my soul apart with his next acting role, if you know what I mean. 

Looking into EDM music videos, I found that from my small sampling, there are quite a few videos with a “story narrative” that feels like a mini-movie. Examples would be Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You (more of a dance song than EDM), Chainsmokers’ Closer, The Weeknd’s Starboy.

Then there are videos with huge stars, like Calvin Harris’s collaboration with Rihanna in This is What You Came For. This is not a typical EDM video, not about abstraction or layering or sound, but just a terrible, lazy mess. Rihanna poses badly and adds nothing to the music. In fact, the barely-trying quality of the video shows how lazy the music itself seems. 

Another Aoki collaboration with Walk Off the Earth, Home We’ll Go, is more similar to Just Hold On, in that the main story is a romance, culminating in an extraordinary, maybe even extraterrestrial encounter. 

Personally, of the videos above, I’d say my favorite is Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You. I think it shows Ed’s sense of musical color and rhythm, as well as his self-deprecating sense of humor. Even though the film is shot very professionally, his playful, young personality shines through, very optimistic, engaging, cheeky, charming. He’s a great entertainer both aurally and visually.

Here’s the odd thing, though. In every single one of these videos, the singer ALWAYS MAKES an appearance. It’s unusual to have a music video without the singer’s face showing up at least once. If one is to understand that a music video is not only an artistic interpretation of the music, but also, in a major way, a promotion of the singer and artist’s public profile, it only makes sense for the singer to connect with his audience by appearing in the video. It is a way for the fans to have some interaction with the artist. 

As a negative example, when a singer chooses not to make an appearance, it is noteworthy. Sia’s videos are famous for her refusal to show herself. These include Chandelier, Elastic Heart, Big Girls Cry, and so many others starring the lithe Maddie Ziegler.

Steve Aoki appears in Just Hold On, but Louis Tomlinson does not. He is present only as a disembodied voice. But what a voice! I first watched the video on my phone, but when I finally watched it on the computer screen, I really felt the discordance between the voice and the images. The voice is wistful, forlorn, and yearning, and the video is fulfilling, exciting. As I mentioned in my post Just Hold On ii, I feel like we have to reconcile these two observations somehow. This video may be produced by Steve’s team, but Louis had approval, and surely gave the go-ahead. The happy images have their visual and narrative meaning, but the lyrics have another meaning, and the two in combination synthesize a third and different, more nuanced meaning. 

I don’t think that it was an instance of “oops, they made a mistake, they made a happy, romantic video out of a sad song.” I think that approach doesn’t give enough credit to the creative team. They have made, literally, dozens of videos. They know what they’re doing. The video was shot this way on purpose. 

Louis was not in the video on purpose. I don’t want to speculate why. And the discordance between the lyrics to the visual images is there on purpose as well. It is happy romantic story, yes, but the lyrics tell us that it is also bittersweet. It’s a story of survival. The video starts at 3 AM, “looking at the stars,” and ends with a sunrise. The video does not show us “when it all goes wrong,” but the lyrics imply it. Your feeling that somehow “it doesn’t fit” is valid, anon, but I would argue that the video is shot this way on purpose. 

Thanks for asking. And I would encourage you to get a Tumblr account, if only to message and send asks. Tumblr can be a pain sometimes, but there are very smart, entertaining people who maintain great blogs here, many of whom have become real friends. 

Sea

[viralhottopics]

Exclusive: Bestselling author E. Lockhart to publish a new YA novel

Image: delacorte press

Bestselling author E. Lockhart has a new YA novel hitting shelves this fall.

SEE ALSO: Read an exclusive excerpt of Jeff Zentner’s upcoming ‘Goodbye Days’

Announced today, Lockhart’s Genuine Fraud will be released Sept. 5 by Delacorte Press, and imprint of Random House Children’s Books.

Edgy and inventive, Genuine Fraud is an instantly memorable story of love, betrayal and entangled relationships that are not what they seem. Lockhart introduces readers to the story of Imogen and JuleImogen, a runaway heiress, an orphan, a cook and a cheat; Jule, a fighter, a social chameleon and an athlete. This is a novel about intense friendship, a disappearance, murder, bad romance, a girl who refuses to give people what they want from her and a girl who refuses to be the person she once was. Who is genuine? And who is a fraud? You be the judge.

Lockhart is a staple in the YA world, and she’s perhaps best known for her haunting We Were Liars, a deluxe edition of which will be published this May.

MashReads spoke to Lockhart about Genuine Fraud, her career, and her advice for 2017. Then read on for an exclusive excerpt of her upcoming novel.

When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

I read Joan Aikens The Wolves of Willoughby Chase in third or fourth grade and immediately began writing novels about Victorian orphanages, windswept landscapes and cool uniforms.

What draws you to writing YA books?

In young adulthood, people separate from the values and embraces of their families of origin and begin to define themselves as individuals. That process of separation and self-reinvention is extremely interesting to me. Genuine Fraud is very much a YA novel, even though it doesnt take place in high school.

Is your writing process different depending on the genre youre writing?

Genuine Fraud is a psychological thriller, and the only other such book I have written is We Were Liars. All my other books are comedies! The thrillers have intricate plots that require more planning.

Genuine Fraud sounds a bit like an oxymoron. Do you have a favorite oxymoron?

Film producer Samuel Goldwyn is often quoted as saying, I never liked you, and I always will. My new novel is in something of the same spirit.

Genuine Fraud is another suspense novel, like your emotional bestseller We Were Liars. Can you give a hint as to the emotions readers are likely to have?

Both books have twisty plots, but with Genuine Fraud youre unlikely to need a tissue. Rather, I recommend Rolaids and seltzeryoull want a strong stomach.

Youre known for writing incredibly strong and complex female characters, particularly Frankie Landau-Banks, who is seen by many as a feminist icon. The women in Genuine Fraud seem to be in a similar vein. Do you feel you have a responsibility as a YA writer?

Thank you. I am a feminist, most certainly, but my responsibility as a novelist is not to provide role models. My responsibility is to try to write something that feels true to me on some emotional and intellectual level. I write to make a piece of narrative art that represents the inside of my head. I hope that if I have done so well enough, people will respond to it.

As its a new year, what is your advice for your readers for 2017, both for life and for aspiring writers?

Raise your voice. Its an everyday practice. As a writer, as an activist, as a friend and colleague, student or teacherraise your voice in protest, in apology, in curiosity, in praise, in self-expression.

What were some of your favorite books of 2016?

I read a lot of travel stories and novels written in the nineteenth century. I read cookbooks and middle-grade fiction and comic essays. But Genuine Fraud is a complicated portrait of an extremely difficult person, and a twisty thriller as welland here are two 2016 books I read while I was revising it that fit that same description and are incredibly juicy: Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman is an adult novel about young women behaving more than badly, raw and gorgeous. My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier is a YA novel about a boy whose younger sister is a psychopathchilling and thought-provoking.

Image: Delacorte press

It was a bloody great hotel.

The minibar in Jules room stocked potato chips and four different chocolate bars. The bathtub had bubble jets. There was an endless supply of fat towels and liquid gardenia soap. In the lobby, an elderly gentleman played Gershwin on a grand piano at four each afternoon. You could get hot clay skin treatments, if you didnt mind strangers touching you. Jules skin smelled like chlorine all day.

The Playa Grande Resort in Baja had white curtains, white tile, white carpets, and explosions of lush white flowers. The staff members were nurselike in their white cotton garments. Jule had been alone at the hotel for nearly four weeks now. She was eighteen years old.

This morning, she was running in the Playa Grande gym. She wore custom sea-green shoes with navy laces. She ran without music. She had been doing intervals for nearly an hour when a woman stepped onto the treadmill next to her.

This woman was younger than thirty. Her black hair was in a tight ponytail, slicked with hair spray. She had big arms and a solid torso, light brown skin, and a dusting of powdery blush on her cheeks. Her shoes were down at the heels and spattered with old mud.

No one else was in the gym.

Jule slowed to a walk, figuring to leave in a minute. She liked privacy, and she was pretty much done, anyway.

You training? the woman asked. She gestured at Jules digital readout. Like, for a marathon or something? The accent was Mexican American. She was probably a New Yorker raised in a Spanish-speaking neighborhood.

I ran track in secondary school. Thats all. Jules own speech was clipped, what the British call BBC English.

The woman gave her a penetrating look. I like your accent, she said. Where you from?

London. St. Johns Wood.

New York. The woman pointed to herself.

Jule stepped off the treadmill to stretch her quads.

Im here alone, the woman confided after a moment. Got in last night. I booked this hotel at the last minute. You been here long?

Its never long enough, said Jule, at a place like this. So what do you recommend? At the Playa Grande? Jule didnt often talk to other hotel guests, but she saw no harm in answering. Go on the snorkel tour, she said. I saw a bloody huge moray eel.

No kidding. An eel?

The guide tempted it with fish guts he had in a plastic milk jug. The eel swam out from the rocks. She must have been eight feet long. Bright green.

The woman shivered. I dont like eels.

You could skip it. If you scare easy.

The woman laughed. Hows the food? I didnt eat yet.

Get the chocolate cake.

For breakfast?

Oh, yeah. Theyll bring it to you special, if you ask.

Good to know. You traveling alone?

Listen, Im gonna jet, said Jule, feeling the conversation had turned personal. Cheerio. She headed for the door.

My dads crazy sick, the woman said, talking to Jules back. Ive been looking after him for a long time. A stab of sympathy. Jule stopped and turned.

Every morning and every night after work, Im with him, the woman went on. Now hes finally stable, and I wanted to get away so badly I didnt think about the price tag. Im blowing a lot of cash here I shouldnt blow.

Whats your father got?

MS, said the woman. Multiple sclerosis? And dementia. He used to be the head of our family. Very macho. Strong in all his opinions. Now hes a twisted body in a bed. He doesnt even know where he is half the time. Hes, like, asking me if Im the waitress.

Damn.

Im scared Im gonna lose him and I hate being with him, both at the same time. And when hes dead and Im an orphan, I know Im going to be sorry I took this trip away from him, dyou know? The woman stopped running and put her feet on either side of the treadmill. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Sorry. Too much information.

Sokay.

You go on. Go shower or whatever. Maybe Ill see you around later.

The woman pushed up the arms of her long-sleeved shirt and turned to the digital readout of her treadmill. A scar wound down her right forearm, jagged, like from a knife, not clean like from an operation. There was a story there.

Listen, do you like to play trivia? Jule asked, against her better judgment.

A smile. White but crooked teeth. Im excellent at trivia, actually.

They run it every other night in the lounge downstairs, said Jule. Its pretty much rubbish. You wanna go?

What kind of rubbish?

Good rubbish. Silly and loud.

Okay. Yeah, all right.

Good, said Jule. Well kill it. Youll be glad you took a vacation. Im strong on superheroes, spy movies, YouTubers, fitness, money, makeup, and Victorian writers. What about you?

Victorian writers? Like Dickens?

Yeah, whatever. Jule felt her face flush. It suddenly seemed an odd set of things to be interested in.

I love Dickens.

Get out.

I do. The woman smiled again. Im good on Dickens, cooking, current events, politics… lets see, oh, and cats.

All right, then, said Jule. It starts at eight oclock in that lounge off the main lobby. The bar with sofas.

Eight oclock. Youre on. The woman walked over and extended her hand. Whats your name again? Im Noa.

Jule shook it. I didnt tell you my name, she said. But its Imogen.

Jule West Williams was nice-enough-looking. She hardly ever got labeled ugly, nor was she commonly labeled hot. She was short, only five foot one, and carried herself with an up-tilted chin. Her hair was in a gamine cut, streaked blond in a salon and currently showing dark roots. Green eyes, white skin, light freckles. In most of her clothes, you couldnt see the strength of her frame. Jule had muscles that puffed off her bones in powerful arcslike shed been drawn by a comic book artist, especially in the legs. There was a hard panel of abdominal muscle under a layer of fat in her midsection. She liked to eat meat and salt and chocolate and grease.

Jule believed that the more you sweat in practice, the less you bleed in battle.

She believed that the best way to avoid having your heart broken was to pretend you dont have one.

She believed that the way you speak is often more important than anything you have to say.

She also believed in action movies, weight training, the power of makeup, memorization, equal rights, and the idea that YouTube videos can teach you a million things you wont learn in college.

If she trusted you, Jule would tell you she went to Stanford for a year on a track-and-field scholarship. I got recruited, she explained to people she liked. Stanford is Division One. The school gave me money for tuition, books, all that.

What happened?

Jule might shrug. I wanted to study Victorian literature and sociology, but the head coach was a perv, shed say. Touching all the girls. When he got around to me, I kicked him where it counts and told everybody who would listen. Professors, students, the Stanford Daily. I shouted it to the top of the stupid ivory tower, but you know what happens to athletes who tell tales on their coaches.

Excerpt copyright 2017 by E. Lockhart. Published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Childrens Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

Read more: http://on.mash.to/2jOItND

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